Roof-hatch for storage-buildings.



A. C. JOHNSTON.

ROOF HATCH FOR STORAGE BUILDINGS.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.13,1910.

1,020,909, Patented Mar. 19, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH co, WASMINOTDN. D. c.

UNITED STATES PA 'PENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR C. JOHNSTON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE J. M.

DODGE COMPANY, OF NAUG-ATUCK, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- NECTICUT.

ROOF-HATCH FOR STORAGE-BUILDINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 13, 1910.

Patented Mar. 19, 1912.

Serial No. 537,941.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ARTHUR C. Jonxs'rox, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Roof-Hatches for Storage-Buildings, of which the following is a. specification.

The main object of my invention is to provide a roof covering a storage pile of coal or other material with a hatch that can be opened at any point throughout the length of the roof over which travels a conveyer, or other means of filling the building.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the hatch that the material which falls from the conveyer will flow down to a given point, and also any water which accumulates and drips onto the root from the conveyer will travel over the hatch, which acts a chute.

A still further object is to form the apex of the pile at a distance below the roof corresponding to the depth of the root' truss, so as to avoid burying the truss in the pile in the building. In this case the depth of the truss determines the length of the chute.

In the accompanying drawing:Figure 1, is a sectional view of the roof of a storage building showing one hatch open and the apex of a storage pile of coal; Fig. 2, is a sectional view on the line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, is a sectional perspective view illustrating my improved hatch; and Fig. i, is a side view illustrating a storage building in diagram, to which my invention may be applied.

My invention is especially applicable to conical storage buildings, or buildings. having inclined roofs, in which are stored granular material, such. as coal, delivered from a conveyer at the apex or ridge of the pile, so that the pile when completed conforms to the shape of the building. Heretofore it has been the general practice to simply provide openings in the roofs of the buildings and allow the material to drop from the conveyer onto the pile, but this is objectionable as in many instances the conveyer is at such a height from the body of the material that it will disintegrate in the fall, but by providing my improved hatch the material is discharged without disintegrating to any great extent.

A is the inclined roof of a building, in the present instance made of corrugated metal and carried by suitable supports B.

a is the hatchway which is in the form of a channel and extends, in the present instance, :trom the apex of the building illustrated in Fig. 4 to the base.

I), Z) are angle plates which extend under the roof sheeting and upon each side of the hatchway, as shown in Fig. 2, and turned down at I) so as to inclose the flange (Z of the pivoted hatch doors I). There is preferably a series of these doors extending the full length of the hatchway, and the doors are pivoted to bars 0 extending across the hatchway at intervals, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2; the bars being carried by the angle plates 6, b. It will be noticed that each hatch door extends rcarwardly at d beyond the pivot e and overlaps, when closed, the edge of the succeeding hatch door, so that it' any material should drop from the conveyer onto the hatch above the door it will simply flow to the base of the building, or may be directed through an opening onto the pile within the building. \Vhen the hatches are all closed, during a storm for instance, the water accumulating on the roof of the building will pass down the hatch to the base of the building without entering the building, owing to the fact that the several hatch doors overlap one another and the side flanges prevent the water passing through the openings between the doors and the side walls of the hatchway. Each hatch door is provided with a chain f, preferably of a given length, so that when the hatch door is dropped, as in Fig. l, the door will be at such an angle that the Inaterial will readily flow over the door, which forms a chute, onto the apex of the pile.

I is an ordinary conveyer having flights 2', and H is a trough having a ribbon bottom it provided with a chute it.

If is a rope connected to one end of the ribbon, so that the ribbon can be moved as the pile increases in height. The conveyer carries the material over the ribbon until the chute is reached and it falls through an opening onto the door I) of the hatchway and travels over the door and drops onto the apex of the pile. hen the ribbon is adjusted the first door is closed and the succeeding door is opened so as to be directly under the chute of the ribbon, thus the fall of the material is broken as it is discharged from the conveyer onto the pile.

My improved chute is simple in construction and the several doors can be readily opened and closed from the outside by the operator traveling up the ladder 9 arranged at one side of the chute.

lVhile I have illustrated my improved chute in connection with a building having a conical roof, it will be understood that the invention may be used with a building having a fiat roof or one having a slight decline, without departing from the essential tea tures of the invention, and the invention can be used in making elongated piles of material as well as conical piles. The form of the building will depend largely upon the space available for a piling floor.

I claim 1. The combination of a roof for storage buildings having an opening; with a series of doors closing said opening, each of said doors being pivoted at one end to the roof and forming when open, a chute for material to be discharged through the opening '"into the building.

2. The combination of a roof of a storage bullding having an extended openlng there- 1n, a series of doors closing the opening, each of said doors being pivoted at one end to the roof and overlapping another door, said doors when open forming chutes for material discharged through the opening into the building.

3. The combination of a roof of a storage building having an elongated opening therein, a series of pivoted hatch doors closing said opening, one hatch door overlapping another, each hatch door having side flanges, each of said doors when open LEOI'IH', ing a chute over which the material being discharged into the building will flow, the flanges acting as the sides of the chutes.

l. The combination of a roof for storage buildings having an elongated aperture formed therein, doors closing the aperture and provided with laterally extending flanges, said doors when open forming chutes for material to be discharged through the opening, the said flanges acting as the sides of the chutes.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ARTHUR O. JOHNSTON.

Witnesses:

l/VM. E. SHUPE, WM. A. BARR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

